Little Hawk
by shaneequa
Summary: Stark finds someone in the Tower he doesn't mind sharing his favorite cereal with; a Black Widow fanatic whose eyes scream Barton. aka A little Barton running around Avengers Tower hungry.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Little Hawk  
Author: Shaneequa  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, its characters, this poem or anything to do with them. This is purely a work of fanfiction.  
Summary: Stark finds someone who he doesn't mind sharing his favorite cereal with.  
A/N: Just my first shot at fluff. Let me know what you guys think! I've never actually written anything fluffy before! So feedback; comments _and_ criticisms are very much welcome!

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It was five in the morning and the Tower was as quiet as it can be. The two assassins had gone out to start working out an hour before while Steve and Bruce were in their floors sleeping. Thor was back at Asguard. It left one genius, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist alone in the common kitchen of the Avenger Tower munching on his Lucky Charms for breakfast.

Tony was busy in his own thoughts of how to redesign the new suit when he heard a small noise coming from the cupboards. Upon further inspection, (he glanced at the direction of the noise) he saw nothing and dismissed it going back to munching on his Lucky Charms and thinking about what new color scheme he can put on the suit.

Black, maybe? It gave him a mysterious edge.

The noise started up again, and this time it was a loud clatter of what sounded like bowls. Tony looked at the general direction of the noise, briefly narrowing his eyes. "Jarvis?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Please tell me there isn't an animal in my tower."

Tony was, and always will be, petrified of dogs after his father had shown him a bloody documentary of rabid dogs when he had asked for one.

"No sir, there is no animal in your tower."

"Well then, what the hell is making that noise?"

"Sir that would be Miss Morse."

"Who?"

The little girl, all of two and a half feet tall with strawberry blonde hair and stormy blue-grey eyes, approached him tentatively from the other side of the room where the noise had been coming from.

"I sorry Mister Iron Man," the little girl started, her big eyes hazing over with unshed tears. "Please don't tell daddy. I no mean to beak rule, I hungry."

"Jarvis?"

"According to SHEILD personnel files, her name sir is Hailey Morse, daughter of deceased Bobbi 'Mockingbird' Morse and Clinton 'Hawkeye' Barton. She does not appear to have any records of existence anywhere else."

"Jarvis know me; he my friend," the little girl stated. "You no tell Daddy and Tasha I down here, okay Jarvis?"

"Very well, Miss Morse."

Tony looked at the little girl before him. "How long have you been living here, Miss Morse?"

The girl's face scrunched up, her fingers held out in front of her. "Longest time. Not long like in ship with Mister Pirate Fury, but long. I like here in Tower Mister Iron Man, please don't make me leave."

Tony's heart fell. He knew the feeling of not wanting to be sent aside, away from his house. After all, his father had continually sent him to boarding schools when he just wanted to stay at home and be a regular kid. Well, who was he kidding; his IQ was nowhere near regular.

"You said you were hungry?" Tony asked the little girl squatting down to get to her level. "What did you wanna eat?"

"I comes here to eat your Coke," Hailey replied flashing him a toothy grin. "Daddy no want me to eat the soda because he said it bad and make me... high-per."

"You _drink_ the Coke," Tony corrected the little girl. He glanced around the kitchen thinking of something to give the young girl. He was a horrible cook; he'd burn toast if he made her any. His eyes landed on the extra-large box of Lucky Charms sitting on the table. Maybe today he'll actually share. "You want some of my Lucky Charms?"

Hailey looked at him suspiciously before nodding her head. "Yes please. Can i get it with chocolate milk?"

"Sure," Tony said walking into the kitchen and taking out another bowl and preparing the little girl's cereal. He set it in front of her and then thought about her feeding herself.

"Can you feed yourself?"

"O'course silly! I three," she said flashing three fingers at him proudly. "I almost big enough to go to school!"

"Right," Tony nodded. He watched as the girl dug into her cereal before resuming his previous task of eating his and thinking about new specifications and tweaks to Mark 10. Then his mind wandered to making a _smaller_ suit, for the little girl beside him without Barton knowing.

Then it dawned on him.

"So you know Natasha?"

The girl looked up at him nodding her head, her eyes lighting up. "She's my favorite. She's my Halloween costume."

"You were Black Widow for Halloween?"

"Uhu!" the girl replied enthusiastically, jumping off the breakfast stool that she had previously been on while eating her cereal. "Look I do Black Widow pose."

The girl went down almost on her knees, leaning on the floor with one hand, while the other was straight out aiming with her fist. "Tasha said when I grow up; she let me play with bracelets. Daddy says Tasha's bracelet, his arrows and mama's stick is not for me to play with. I play with mama's magic stick though, they not know."

She placed her hands over her mouth. "You no tell Daddy and Tasha, okay Mister Iron Man?"

"I have a better deal for you kid," Tony started with a smile. "How would you like your own Iron Man suit?"

"Like flying?" the girl's eyes went wide at him. Hailey's favorite Avenger, after her father and Natasha was Iron Man. Mostly because he can fly.

"Of course! I'd have to teach you how to fly first, but yeah, generally."

"Can I?!" Hailey exclaimed jumping to his legs. "Please?! Pretty please?!"

"Just... don't tell your dad or 'Tasha' okay?"

Hailey beamed at him sticking out her small pinky finger.

"Pinky promise."

Stark linked her pinky with his.

"I be your sidekick! Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl!"

Tony chuckled.

This was going to be fun.

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First real shot at fluff. Might be a multi-chapter thing if you guys want more.


	2. Chapter 2

Due to popular demand... I wrote another installment. Short little thing because I really don't want to study for exams. Might actually have a plot line for this now!

Enjoy!

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Stark put aside his work with the new suit. He was engrossed in making a mini-Iron Man suit for the little Barton he promised would get her very own. While it was fairly easy to get the dimensions of his suit and have the blue prints for the mini-suit. It was creating the technology that would fit into the smaller frame.

"Hi Mister Iron Man!" the little girl greeted him. Tony jumped back in surprise.

"Shit —_ SHOOT_, kid you scared me!" Tony said correcting himself hoping that the little kid didn't catch on.

"Tasha teach me how sneak up on people," she said with a smile ignoring his language. She's heard it a lot being around Fury. Her father ensured that she would know not to use that kind of language. He told her that it wasn't "lady like" and if she wanted to be a lady then she couldn't use that type of language.

Since 'Tasha was a lady, and she wanted to be like 'Tasha, Hailey decided she couldn't say words like that.

"I bet she did," Tony replied. He looked at Hailey who was looking at the mini-suit with awe.

"That mine?" She asked amazed itching to come closer to touch it. Tony nodded his head, pulling down the tablet and projecting it lower so that it was life sized next to the little girl. "Can I touch it?"

"Yeah."

Hailey reached out her small hand and touched the hologram expecting it to be solid. When her hand went through the digital image, she pouted.

"It not real."

"I'm still building it."

"And then I fly?"

"Then you fly," Tony nodded. Flying, he thought, must be from the small girl's mother. He hacked into the SHEILD files after discovering about Hailey and looked up Mockingbird. She was gorgeous, and Tony wondered how the hell Barton could be so lucky to get the blonde to fall for him. One of Mockingbird's tricks was being able to levitate and fly with the use of what Hailey called her "magic stick."

"Okay," she said climbing on the stool next to Tony's. The girl just looked around her and Tony proceeded to tinker around with the circuit in front of him to develop the suit. After a few minutes of silence, Hailey spoke up tentatively. "Mister Iron-Man, sir?"

"Yeah?"

"You's a gen—-gene—-really smart, right?"

"Well I don't mean to brag but… yes," he smiled. "The word you're looking for there is genius."

"You's can help me fix daddy and Tasha?"

"What's wrong with your daddy and Tasha?" Tony asked putting his tools down and facing the small child.

"Daddy sad coz 'o Uncle Phil, and I try make him happy but he only happy when I there. And Tasha sad too. I wants-ta make everybody happy."

He nodded understanding. Since he started 'consulting' for SHEILD, he (or Pepper) had gotten to know the man very well. He could only imagine those he was actually close to.

"I want to them happy together. Like the prince and the princess. They gonna be happy ever after!"

Tony's eyes lit up. "You want my help to get your daddy and 'Tasha' together?"

_Damn._ Thor owed him twenty bucks for betting that the two assassins were already "betrothed to one other." Tony on the other hand had sensed the unresolved tension between the two and bet Thor that they weren't.

Twenty dollars richer. _Yes!_

"So we be a family, like in the movies. And she can be my momma, but no evil momma like in Cindy-ella," she replied nodding her head enthusiastically. "Tasha gonna be good momma."

"You want her to be your mom?"

Hailey smiled. "Uhu! Then her, and me, and daddy all gonna be happily ever after!"

"Okay, what do I get for helping you?" Tony asked the little girl, an eyebrow raised, teasing the kid. He didn't want it to seem like the girl has him around her pinky finger, when it was obvious that she did.

"I no gonna tell Ms. Potts you buy her pretty ring."

"What? How do you know about the ring?"

"I, Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl! I knows-ed everything!"

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Reviews please!


	3. Chapter 3

So I hope you guys are still interested in the life of Hailey Barton. I'm sorry the updates are far and few, I hadn't planned for there to be a multi chapter so it comes as inspiration strikes.

Hope you guys like this one!

Enjoy!

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With her parents off in a twelve hour mission in Marseilles and Jarvis in charge of her care, Hailey was free to roam the Avengers Tower.

Sometimes she liked to sit on the roof and wait for her parents, because she refused to think of Tasha as anything other than mom, to rescue her from the dragons and evil outside. Grant it, she probably watched fairytales with princesses locked up towers one too many times but they were her favorite.

But instead of a prince, she had a mom and a dad there to save her.

Who needed a prince anyway when she had the Avengers?

Today though, she didn't want to sit around waiting for her parents. She wanted to go pretend to be a warrior goddess.

Mister Thund-Thor's floor had dead animals on the wall and gold _everything_.

The Asguardian was sitting in his living room, left by his team who was off in the world doing one thing or another while he visited. He insisted that they didn't have to treat him as a guest because he treated Midguard as another home. Besides, it gave him time to observe and appreciate the lives of the people he saved.

... If only he could get the magical box to work.

"Jarvis," he asked looking up into the ceiling, in a similar manner that people do when they spoke to the deities.

"What can I do for you Mister Odinson?"

"I would like to learn how to operate this Midguardian magical box."

"What would you like to watch today sir?"

"Give me... the sport of midguardians with a pig skinned oval ball."

"Right away, sir."

Jarvis placed the recording on for Stark to watch later of the Asguardian god screaming at the television like he knew what was happening with the sport.

It was the middle of the third quarter when Thor stood up to stretch his legs and re-fill the now-empty bucket of popcorn. He walked into his kitchen not expecting the small little girl who looked up at him petrified.

"Uh-oh"

"Tiny creature! What might you be?" he asked the small girl. She went up to his knees and was looking up at him with her big bright eyes.

She looked at him, still afraid of the gigantic man. Although her parents and Tony had told her stories of the Asguardian, she didn't imagine him to be _that_ big.

He was almost as big as Clifford the Big Red Dog!

"Who do you belong to, Tiny Creature, so that I may return you to your rightful guardians."

Still, she didn't speak.

"I will not hurt you, I am a good guy. Thor, King of Asguard. Protector of your realm, small Midguardian."

"I is Hailey," she peeped out between her hands which covered her mouth. She slowly lowered her hands and held one out for Thor to shake. "I is good guy... girl too! Mister Iron Man says I is Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl."

"I was not aware that Tony had an offspring."

She scrunched her face and shook her head. "I no _oss-pring_ o' Iron Man! My daddy is Clinton Francis Barton."

Thor nodded his head in recognition taking the girl's still outstretched hand and shaking it. "You are born of a mighty warrior clan, Lady Hailey."

Hailey giggled. "You call me... Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl! It's my superhero name."

"Ahh, you would make a mighty heroine, young Hailey. Your mother and father are great warriors."

"Mama?"

"You know not of your mother's identity as the Widow?"

She shook her head and mumbled, keeping her head low. "Tasha not my mama."

"She is not?" Thor asked surprised. "It was evident to me that there was an attraction there."

"My mama dead."

"I am sorry young one. Nobody should experience such loss."

Haley met his eyes and gave him a small smile. "Is okay. My mama in a good place now, she not hurting no more. 'sides, I get a new mama, Mister Iron Man promise me."

"And how does one acquire a new mother in this realm, young one?"

She rolled her eyes at the man before her. "I gots-ta get daddy and Tasha to say they love each other and kiss and then we will all live happily ever after. Mister Iron Man is gonna help me make them say they love each other and kiss. Then I can a mommy and daddy."

"I am volunteering myself in your noble conquest, young one. I have learned from my brother that everybody deserves a set of parents who love them."

"You's really gonna help me Mister Thund-Thor?"

"Thund-Thor?"

"Uhu! You's the god of Thunder, and you's name is Thor. So you's Thund-Thor."

"You are a very interesting Midguardian."

"You wants-ta play with me?"

For the first time since he's seen the little girl, he noticed the makeshift sword strapped onto her pink belt and how his kitchen looked like a battle field.

"What does on play now?"

"I is warrior princess of Budapest," she said puffing her chest out proudly. "You gots-ta go on your knees so i can make you a knight and you fight the evil Monster-Hydra with me."

Thor kneeled as Hailey had requested. "I would be honored to fight alongside such a mighty warrior."

Hailey smiled up at him; even kneeling he was still considerably taller than her.

"You's now Knight Thund-Thor of Asg-ad."

She took her play sword and touched both his shoulders with a smile.

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Reviews please!


	4. Chapter 4

Firstly, thank you for all of those who reviewed! 41 reviews for three chapters! WOAWZA. And all the alerts too!

Uh so... Clintasha with Hailey chapter? It's angsty, I'm sorry guys! I swear I'm already writing the next chapter (she meets Captain America woo!) and it's fluffy-ufagus with sprinkles on top.

Hope you guys like this one! (or if you'd rather I stayed away from the heavy angst let me know)

Enjoy!

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Her father came home at late nights and Hailey was used to it. She was used to hearing her daddy's footsteps walk up to her door and a chaste kiss goodnight on her forehead. Tonight was just like those nights, except ever since they moved into the Avengers Tower with the rest of the super heroes, her father's footsteps was accompanied by another set. Tasha's.

"You know she's awake when you get into her room at night," the older woman's voice echoed into the hallway and into Hailey's room. It was already dark, and the digital clock that sat on her bedside table read 0234.

"I know she wakes up," her father's voice echoed back. " But I want to keep up the appearnces. You know, normal family and all."

"Family huh?"

Hailey's bat hearing perked up. _Family_.

She imagined Tasha's eyebrows arched up.

"Yeah, Tash. I know she calls you mom when it's just the two of you."

"You—how?"

There was a pause which brought Hailey to bit her nails. She hoped her father wasn't mad at her for calling Natasha mother.

"She slipped."

"I-I'm sorry. I know how much you try and keep Bobbi's memory alive with her…"

"Bobbi is her _mother, _of course I want to keep her memory with Hailey. You shouldn't humor her, letting you call her mom and all."

"I'm not humoring her."

"She's _not_ your daughter, Natasha."

Hailey sat up next to the door. Although she didn't have to. Her dad and Tasha's voice were raised, angry with one another.

"I know that Clint," the older woman spat. "You don't think out of all people, I _know_, constantly _reminded_ that she's not my daughter? That it was _my_ fault because I let you go?"

"Nat…"

"Why won't you tell her about us, huh? Why do we have to hide our relationship, from her of all people? She would be over the moon if she found out!"

_Relationship_? Hailey thought in her head. She clutched her bear in excitement. Maybe they were going to be a family, after all. She didn't even need Mister Iron man or Mister Thor's help.

"I just… We don't even know what we are. Sometimes we're friends, sometimes we're more than that… I don't want to confuse her, or her to be hurt when –"

"When what, Clint? When you decide that you two are too good for me. When you decide that I can't be the mother that she needs and you two just leave me? Tell me, I can take it."

"It's not that… I just don't want her to forget Bobbi. Okay?"

"Don't worry Barton. The girl praises the ground her mother walked on. She would never forget. But you have to move on, you both do."

"Don't be selfish, Natasha. You don't even know Bobbi."

"You're right. I don't, how can I compare to someone so – perfect?"

"That's not what I – "

"You know what, Barton? I'm done trying."

Hailey's eyes widened when she heard the front door to the apartment slam shut. The apartment was engulfed in silence as she slowly made her way to her bed.

"I know you were awake for that," her father's voice echoed in the room. He was leaning against her door.

"Why you let Tasha go?" Hailey mumbled, tears falling out of her eyes.

"I didn't. She's upstairs in apartment. She didn't go anywhere."

"She not staying here tonight? What 'bout my gymnastics lessons, she always teach me in the mornings."

"I'm sure she'll come by tomorrow and pick you up for gymnastics," he reassured her brushing the hair from her forehead. "Here… Jarvis?"

"Yes sir?"

"Would you kindly ask Agent Romanoff if she would still pick up Hailey for her morning gymnastics tomorrow?"

"Miss Romanoff stated she would, sir. 0800 tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Jarvis."

"Will that be all sir?"

"Yes, thank you."

Hailey's tears stopped but she looked at Clint still, sadness radiating in her eyes. "What's wrong, Bird?"

"If I pinky promise, swear on my heart hope to die, promise that I will never _ever_ forget mommy… will you tell Momma Tasha to come back?"

"It's not up to me, baby. Maybe you can ask Tasha tomorrow. But for now, it's bed time, or else you won't wake up in time for your gymnastics."

"Okay," Hailey nodded letting her father go through the motions of tucking her into bed.

"Sweet dreams, baby."

"Goodnight, daddy."

Thirty minutes later, Natasha felt the other side of the bed dip slightly. Her gun already in her hand, safety off as she felt for the second movement aiming at the person who entered her bed.

"It's me, momma," she heard Hailey whispered. Natasha lowered her gun, placing the safety back on and onto her side table, away from the young girl. Natasha scooted from the center of the bed, making room for Hailey to climb in.

"What are you doing up, Hail?" Natasha asked letting the small girl lay her head on her lap. She stroked Hailey's soft hair.

"I wanna-ta talk to you."

"About what, darling?"

"I wanna-ta tell you not to listen to daddy."

"I won't leave you," Natasha whispered to her, familiar with the fears that were going through Hailey's mind. "I'll still be there for you for gymnastics, ballet, Russian classes… whatever you want."

"But you won't be my momma?" Hailey looked up at her with sad eyes. "Is it coz I bad kid? I promise I be good! No more sneaking to see Mister Iron Man or playing with Mister Thund-Thor! If you be momma please?"

Natasha looked at the young girl surprised, tucking in the bit of information about meeting and "playing" with the team later on. This was a completely different issue she was going to have to deal with.

"It's not that I don't want to be your momma, but you already have one. Maybe somewhere down the road, your daddy will find someone he loves very much and marry her. Then you'll have a new momma."

"Why can't you be her?"

Natasha shook her head. How does she explain love to a child? "Because, Hailey. I can't."

"Can I still call you momma?"

"Only when it's the two of us, okay? Otherwise your father might not let me see you anymore."

"Why daddy no want you ta-be my momma? Yous the only momma I ever knew-ed."  
"I'll tell you when you get older," Natasha promised, just as she did with everything else she thought was too complex for the small girl to understand.

"Can I cuddle with you tonight?"

Natasha bit her lip and shook her head. "You have to get back to your princess bed, baby."

"But I wanna cuddle with you."

"You have to go back to your daddy, Hailey."

Natasha stood up from her bed, carrying the small child up on her hip. She walked to the elevator as Hailey screamed and protested, wiggling in her tight hold.

"You lie to me! You's gonna leave me too!"

Natasha pulled the girl closer to her body. "That's not true, Hail."

"You no want me! You no love me! You lie! You don't wanna be my momma!"

Hailey threw a fit as they got into the elevator and made their way onto Clint's floor.

"I don't love you anymore, momma! Yous gonna leave me too!"

Clint was waiting for them at the door when he heard Hailey's scream from the elevator. He shot Natasha a curious look.

"She came into my room from the vents," Natasha replied handing the child over to her father. "You should probably sleep with her tonight."

Hailey was hiccupping, tears coming down uncontrollably from her eyes. "It's way past your bedtime, baby."

"I… I think we shouldn't have gymnastics tomorrow morning. Let her rest up a little for the rest of the week," Natasha said watching Clint walk away with Hailey in his arms. Clint nodded his head, his back turned to her as Natasha walked over to the elevator to give the small family space. After all, as of that night, she wasn't part of that family any longer.

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Like I said, sorry for the angst break. It's part of the non-existent plot I have in my head.  
Let me know if you guys would rather not have angst and stick to fluff over the next chapters!

Reviews, please? (:


	5. Chapter 5

OHGOLLYMOLY. **62 reviews!** Thank you SO VERY MUCH for all the reviewers! _And to all the alerts and favs as well! _Not gonna to lie, the overwhelming response always makes me nervous to update because I don't want to disappoint you readers.

And we're back to the cute-ness. Sorry for the late post. Happy reading!

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More than two weeks after sneaking up the rafters and getting grounded by her dad, Hailey has yet to see the red headed woman who she considered her mother. After the first week, she figured that Tasha just wanted to be alone. When Hailey wanted to be alone, she locked herself in the room and told Jarvis that she didn't want anyone _even her father or mother_ to come in. After a week and a half, Hailey was losing hope that she would see Tasha again. She never left without saying goodbye, or left without telling her where she was going and a kiss promising that she would be back.

"Hailey, sweetie," her father called out to her. "It's time for your Russian lesson."

Hailey rolled her eyes and shook her head defiantly. "Nyet, papa."

"Why not?"

"I's only wanna learn from Tasha. Where's Tasha?"

"She's out on a mission, honey."

"She no say'd bye to me," she pouted.

Her father sighed running his hand through his hair. "I... It's gonna be weird for a little while, okay baby? I know you've been used to Tasha being here all the time but... She..."

"She left me?"

Clint looked at her with sad eyes. "I..."

Hailey's eyes were large and filled with tears. "She break'd her promise! She pinky promised!"

"I'm sorry Hailey," he stated trying to pull his daughter in for a hug. Hailey ran away from his grasp just as Natasha taught her to.

"No! Is your fault! You sent her away! She no want to leave me but you MADES her! I HATES you! Hates you a lot!" she exclaimed, tears rolling down her eyes. Her father watched as Hailey ran to her room and locked the door. She crawled up in the corner of her room clutching a redheaded doll that Tasha had given to her. It was her "Tasha Doll," the doll that Natasha gave her to remind her that she would always be there. It was after the first mission Natasha went to without Clint where Hailey freaked out and looked for Natasha and couldn't sleep until she was back. The next week, which just happened to be the first Christmas that they spent with each other, Natasha presented her the doll. A redhead doll clad in black latex spandex and a holister that contained a stuffed gun. The doll was even decked out with widow bites that lit up. In essence, it was Natasha, and Hailey loved it.

"Mister Jarvis?"

"Yes Miss Morse?"

"No letting Daddy in, okay?"

"Yes, Miss Morse."

Hailey sat in the corner clutching her doll in her arms. "Why yous leave me Tasha? You promised you not gonna leave like Momma left."

She sat there for a while until Jarvis spoke up.

"Miss Morse, I am sorry to interrupt, but Mister Stark would like you to come down to the lab. He has finished creating your costume and would like you to test it."

Hailey smiled at the thought, but shook her head. "Tell Mister Iron Man I-is don't want to be his side-kick anymore."

"Right away, Ma'am."

A few beats later, Tony Stark was entering her room. "Hailey?"

Hailey shot up from her seat at the corner of her room. "Yous not allowed here, Mister Iron Man, sir. This my room."

Stark smirked at the small girl. "Last time I checked, Miss Morse, this is my building."

"But is my room," Hailey muttered into her doll.

"Alright well," Tony said looking around and seeing a play table set. The tea set was out and ready. There were stuffed animals that sat on two chairs while two seats were left unoccupied. "May I sit down?"

Hailey looked at her doll then at Stark. "Sure."

She walked over to her tea set party and sat at the only empty spot. She took the bear sitting on her right and lifted it up and placed it at the corner of the room where the rest of her toys were neatly, chaotically, placed. Hailey then walked to the stable and put her Tasha doll next to her. She served Tony imaginary tea and plastic toy bread from the center of the table.

"Haven't seen you in a while, Miss Morse."

"Is been grounded," Hailey muttered. "I no do nothing bad, but daddy... he the one been bad."

"What did Lego-your _daddy_ do?"

"He makes Tasha go away."

Stark's eyebrows crunched together. "Natasha went out on a mission a week ago, without -"

She bowed her head slowly. "I no wants to be your side-kick no more Mister Iron Man. I-sorry, please don't be mad."

"Why do you think I would be mad?"

"Coz-o you spent lots-o time makin' me a Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl suit and I-s no wants to be it anymore."

He shook his head. "I don't mind, but why don't you want to be my sidekick anymore?"

"I... I wants-ta be happy life when I-grows old," she whispered. "I wants-ta... be a momma and has a baby who has a daddy and we all live happily ever after."

"What about your plan? You know, for you dad and Tasha."

"Daddy no wanted to be with Tasha anymore. He makes her leave."

"So..."

"I no wants to live angrily-ever-after, like daddy and Tasha. They's spies. I wants to live like the fairytales. They no has fairytales for superheroes, everyone they loves leaves. I no wanna be leaves-ed by everybody."

Tony sighed knowing the feeling that she was going through. He was sent to boarding schools, one after another and in retrospect, he understood the motive behind his father's actions towards him. He was a weakness to SHEILD, to the country. Tony would have been in danger for a long time had they thought that kidnapping the small, helpless child that he was, would affect the stoic man that Howard Stark was.

Tony understood why Barton and Romanoff had been keeping the small girl under wraps. To protect her.

But more importantly, he understood the feeling of always being left.

"I promise you, the Avengers will always be here for you," Tony smiled at her, it was out of character for the Tony Stark that everyone knew, but he was human. He had a soft spot. This lost little girl happen to be it.

Hailey looked up at him with big bright eyes. "Pinky promise?"

He nodded holding out his pinky. As Hailey reached over to link her pinky with his, Tony pulled his hand back surprising her. "Only if you promise you will be my sidekick again. I have an idea on how to give Pep her ring and I need a sidekick for it."

She smiles up at him and linked their fingers.

"Pinky promise!"

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Let me know what you guys think! Hopefully you are all still interested in reading what's next for Hailey. And I know it's after Xmas but... I wrote an Xmas fic for this that wasn't going to fit so I might post it as a separate One-Shot.  
Suggestions to what you guys want to see are very welcome.

Reviews, please? (:


	6. Chapter 6

Wow, thank you ALL for the amazing response for this story! I'm really sorry that I don't update more often.

Now with that said, I'm very unsure of this chapter, how it flows etc. So please let me know what you think about it? Also open to any suggestions on what you guys would like to see!

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Steve Rogers sat on the roof on the Avengers Tower looking down at the city below him. While there were more buildings, higher in levels that tower over the smaller boroughs, Steve thought from up there, it didn't seem too different. He could spot lovers, loners, happy people who go about their day, and those that wished that the day would just end.

Yes, while technology changed the world, cars were faster, boats could fly. People were still people.

In the middle of his philosophical thoughts, a sound of a small child disturbed him.

"Oops," the small voice muttered. Steve turned to look at the small child, no more than five years, from what he could tell, standing there wearing a signature "hands in the cookie jar" face.

"Hi," he said gently smiling at the child. He wondered briefly if Peggy had children, and how beautiful they would be. He shook his head, now was not the time to think about _what could have beens_. Now was the time to think about why there was a little girl running around the Tower.

"Hi," the little girl replied timidly. "I's Hailey. Yous Mister Captain Rogers America."

Steve's smile got bigger. "I am, what are you doing way up here, Miss Hailey?"

"Hidin'," She stated with a smile. "Is my hidin' place."

Steve stood up from where he sat brushing off his khakis. "I'm sorry for disturbing your hiding place, I didn't mean to."

"'S okay, Mister Iron Man cheats anyways," she scoffed. "He uses-ed Jarvis' cameras coz Jarvis don't wanna tell him where I hide."

"You're playing hide-and-seek with Tony Stark?"

Hailey grinned at the man before him. "Uhu! Mister Thund-Thor also plays, and Mister Hulk Banner too!"

"You have the whole Avengers, playing hide and seek with you?"

She shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Yous and daddy not playing. Tasha not here so she not playing. You wants-ta play?"

Steve made a gesture that stated he was thinking about it. It wouldn't be bad, it would actually give him something to do other than contemplate the differences between his _present_ and _this present_.

"Pwease Mister Captain Rogers America?"

Hailey's big eyes looked up at him in her signature puppy dog pout that has gotten her pretty much everything she ever wanted in the world, well _almost_ everything.

"Okay, I'll play with you."

She squealed and hugged his leg before letting go and grabbing his hand. "Come on, Mister Captain Rogers America! We has to down to the Com'n area. You gonna be it thought coz you just got in the game."

When the elevator opened into the Common Area floor, Tony Stark jumped out from behind the bamboo plant that Pepper had insisted on placing there to give it a more homely look. "I found you! You're it Hailey!"

Hailey shook her head pointing over to Steve. "Mister Captain Rogers America wants-ta play. He's it!"

Tony nodded his head. "Jarvis, call Thor and Bruce up here. We have a new person to play with."

Meanwhile three floors up where Hailey and Tony was hiding, the elevator opened to let Clint Barton into his floor.

"Hailey!" He called out to the direction of his daughter's room. Since his "break up" with Natasha, it was where Hailey spent most of her time. Or so he thought.

When no response came, Clint walked to his daughter's room to check on her, expecting her to be curled up on the floor, taking a nap. When he didn't find her there, or _anywhere_ on his floor really. He started to panic.

Riding the elevator up one floor to Natasha's, he walked into the living room where she had the TV on, a news report playing in the background while she typed away a report on the computer. He stood at the entrance of her living room. She had made it perfectly clear that her was no longer welcome in her home. "Natasha?"

She turned from her work to find Clint standing there, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Is there something you need, Barton?"

"Uh," Clint paused raising his hand up to scratch the back of his neck. He threw her a sheepish look, meeting her tired green eyes. "Is Hailey here?"

Natasha's eyes narrowed on him. "You made it perfectly clear that you don't want her anywhere near me."

He had made it clear to her that he didn't want her near Hailey. That _she_ would corrupt the little girl and somehow turn her into the killer that Natasha grew up to become. It hurt for her because Clint thought that Natasha would take away what little memory, or stories, that the little girl had of her mother. Natasha didn't want to take Bobbi's place in the young girl's life. She just wanted to be a part of it.

Clint sighed. "Nat, _please_. She wasn't anywhere in my floor, and the only two floors that she knows is my and yours."

"She's not here, Clint."

"Would you tell me if she was?" he asked her, honestly.

She responded by throwing a knife in his direction, grazing his cheek, but not enough to do damage. "Don't you dare accusing me of taking _your_ daughter."

Clint deflated. "I'm sorry, okay? I just... I don't know where she is."

"Did you ask Jarvis?" she asked him putting the second knife she was about to throw his way to snap him out of it, back into its case.

He bowed his head shaking it. She sighed looking at the direction of the wall. "Jarvis?"

"Yes Agent Romanoff?" the AI responded to her call.

"Where is Hailey?"

"I'm afraid I cannot disclose her location at the moment."

Natasha's eyes narrowed to the paining which hid the control panel for the AI. "Why exactly can you not disclose her location to me?"

"My serves have been overridden, Agent Romanoff," Jarvis responded. "Miss Morse has made me promise not to disclose her location to anyone. "

She looked over at where Clint was standing, leaning against the elevator frame. "She's not on the roof, I checked."

"Why would she tell Jarvis not to tell us where she is?" she asked aloud.

"I... I don't know, Tasha. I..."

Natasha went over to her laptop, pulling out her access card and slipping it into her pocket. "We need to get to the living room and talk to Tony. He may be able to re-access Jarvis in telling us where she is."

The ride down to the common area was full of Clint muttering and pacing around the elevator as Natasha leaned on the back-left corner of the small space and watched him.

"Clint, she's going to be okay," Natasha whispered in the small elevator.

He turned sharply to her, his worried eyes meeting her green ones. "You know that, is that what you know?"

She opened her mouth to reply to him when the elevator opened to the common room. As soon as Clint stepped out of the elevator, he ran into the six foot demi-god giant.

"Friend Barton!" Thor exclaimed. "My apologies, I am pre-occupied with finding those who are 'hiders' in this glorious battle of hide-and-seek."

Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Perhaps you both can help me?" the god of Thunder asked them, with a puppy dog expression. "I have been, what you call, 'it,' for an eternity."

Clint shook his head. "Have you seen Stark? We - I need to talk to him."

Thor shook his head. "The Man of Iron is part of the game, a very formidable foe. As is your daughter, a great warrior like her mother and father."

Natasha's attention, which had been at Clint who walked past Thor and was searching the common room, snapped to Thor. "You know Hailey?"

"She is the _master_ of this game, that little one," Thor replied with a smile on his face. "She must have inherited your great abilities, Lady Natasha."

She nodded without paying much attention to Thor's assumption that she was Hailey's mother. Most people did when they saw her, Clint and Hailey together. Or used to, when they would go out and enjoy the day together.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes, Agent Romanoff?"

"Will you tell Hailey to get her little butt up here, as soon as possible. The game is over."

"Right away Agent Romanoff."

It wasn't a minute later when the elevator opened with an innocent looking Hailey who was throwing both Natasha and her father, the signature puppy dog look.

"Hi daddy, hi Tasha," she greeted them, walking to the leather couch where they sat.

Natasha and Clint made eye contact before turning to look over at Hailey again.

"You're grounded, missy," Clint replied. "We kept you up there for a reason. I didn't even know that the team knew who you were!"

"But da-"

"We did to protect you, _ребенок_ (baby)."

"I was bor-ed," Hailey tried to reason.

Clint shook his head. "Three weeks. No shows, no iPad, and definitely no leaving the floor."

The little girl's mouth hung open. Three weeks was _forever_. She turned to Natasha, who was surprisingly the softer one when it came to punishment hoping that she would change it to a week, maybe a day.

"Sorry, Hailey. I can't change what your dad's punishment is," Natasha told her. "It's not my place."

Clint stood up from his seat beside Natasha, scooping up his daughter and placing her on her hip. He walked to the elevator with a sobbing little girl while the team watched.

When Clint pressed the button to the elevator. Tony walked up to him patting him on the shoulder that Hailey's head wasn't on, while subtly - as word that is rarely used to describe the man - handed Hailey a small piece of paper.

"Congratulations, it's a girl!" Tony exclaimed when Clint turned around.

Clint's reaction was stoic, angry to say the least. The elevator doors opened and Clint walked inside not minding the rest of the team, or Tony who stood there winking at his daughter.

She opened the paper.

_'The Avengers will save you, don't worry.'_

Hailey met Tony's eyes over her father's shoulder throwing him a smile.

Good think Natasha taught her how to read.

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Let me know what you guys think!  
Sorry again for the irregular updates. Hopefully you guys are still interested in the story!

Reviews, please? (:


	7. Av-vise from Mister Hulk Banner

I know... I suck at being consistent with updates for this and my other stories... I wrote this out during my Chem class so... please forgive me for that. I just thought you guys deserved an update!

Anyway, I hope you guys like it. Bringing in some Mister Hulk Banner plus Hailey bonding times.

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While the Avengers promised her that they will save her, Hailey didn't really need saving. Natasha was around more, feeling guilty that she broke her promise to the little girl.

"Hailey, you have to work on your back handspring _before_ we can move on to aerials," Natasha stated standing at the end of the mats where she taught Hailey gymnastics.

"But momma," Hailey whined to her, putting on the full pout. "It looks so cool when you do it."

"And I'm only able to do it, princess, because I worked on my basic skills," she said fixing the stray hair that has fallen out of the little girl's otherwise perfect bun. Hailey huffed at her before walking over to the mats again causing Natasha to smile at her.

"I's gotta be perfect, then I gets to do air-yal?"

"You're already perfect. You just have to practice more, so that you're safe."

"Okay, momma," Hailey replied performing her perfect basic tumbling sequence.

From the shadows, Clint clapped his hands together, making Natasha tense and Hailey turn to the source of the sound.

"Good job, baby," Clint said with a smile, coming to a stop next to Natasha. Hailey beamed at the both of them.

"I show you 'gain, daddy."

This time, Hailey performed a different sequence including a few jumps as she tumbled around the mat.

Clint let his eyes focus on his daughter, while addressing Natasha. "Thank you for teaching her."

"It's not a problem."

"She uh... she was really..." Clint stuttered. "She's behind on her Russian."

"Alright."

"She's also behind on -"

"She's your child, Clint," Natasha muttered watching Hailey do her finishing sequence.

"I - Look she-"

Clint's stuttering was cut off when Hailey ran up to them with a big smile on her face. "Did you see? Did ya? Did ya?"

"You were amazing," Natasha stated with a smile. She turned to leave the gym when Hailey caught her hand.

"You's not gonna go 'ta lunch with us?"

Natasha shook her head, squeezing Hailey's hand. "I have to go to work, but I'll take you out to lunch sometime... If it's alright with your dad."

Hailey looked up at Clint expectantly, her face going into a pout. "Please, daddy?"

"If you're good," Clint stated looking up and meeting Natasha's eyes.

Natasha turned away to leave the family alone, stalking up to her room where she changed for her date. A lunch date at that, she figured that it was safe. A dinner date always made people assume more. This way she could just... say she had something planned for later that afternoon if the date wasn't working out.

It was a bright, sunny, Afternoon where New York's hustle and bustle was accompanied by kids shrieking with happiness. She scanned her surroundings, freezing up a little when she noticed Clint and Hailey out at the patio, Hailey talking animatedly to her father, as she always does. She had to calm her brain that went straight into panic mode when she noticed her date was looking right at her, sitting a few tables down from Hailey and Clint.

Finally meeting her date's eyes, Natasha unconsciously tugged her white sundress down lower, and hugged her jean jacket a little tighter. One would never guess that she was the Black Widow walking around looking so uncomfortable. The fifteen steps (yes she counted) that it took from where she stood to where her date, James, was sitting, she had to convince herself to suck it up. That it didn't matter that Clint was in the same restaurant as she was having lunch with his daughter, while she was out on the first date – a set up thanks to Pepper – in about six years.

_Besides, Natasha,_ she told herself. _Clint doesn't care._

The 'devil' in her mind chuckled. _He doesn't want you, anyway_.

"Hey," she said with a smile. He stood up pulling her seat for her and pushing it in once she sat down.

"I hope you don't mind sitting out here," he stated, flashing her a smile. "It's a beautiful day outside."

"It's fine, James. Like you said, it's a beautiful day outside."

"Good," he smiled at her.

Four tables down, in the patio area of the same restaurant, Hailey and Clint were having lunch. Hailey was devouring her mac and cheese, while Clint stared at the redheaded woman whose back was turned to him.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Daddy?" Hailey asked noticing her father's intense stare. She turned around in her seat before Clint could stop her. Hailey's eyes widened and a smile appeared on her face as she recognized the redhead sitting a few tables down. "It's Tasha! She says she's..."

"She's working," Clint replied gruffly. "Finish your Mac and Cheese, baby. I'll take you to the zoo after."

Hailey placed a spoon full of mac and cheese into her mouth, shaking her head. "I wants-ta go with Tasha later."

"She's working," he repeated. Although he knew that she wasn't. Natasha Romanoff had a switch, and as one of the only to ever see her both at work and in person, he knew what the difference was. The way she unconsciously played with her hair, or the glass of raspberry tea - and indulgent that she only let herself have _off the job_ - were telltale signs.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Natasha was on a date.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Clint was angry.

It was almost midnight, and Bruce was quietly staring at his white board, trying to determine why the formula that he created wasn't working out, when he heard a small noise that signaled an air vent getting lifted. He turned around with a smile on his face.

"Hailey Morse," he said quietly making the girl freeze midway to putting the misplaced tile from the vent back on. "You are not supposed to be up this late."

"I needs your a-vise Mister Hulk Banner," Hailey stated climbing down from the bookshelf carefully with Bruce's help.

"What do you need my advice for?" Bruce asked with a small smile. He watched as the young girl sat herself down on one of the black leather stools, crossing her legs and using her arms to rotate herself. He followed suit, pulling another lab stool and sitting on it facing her.

"Is about being mad - and Mister Iron Man says yous' the bestest person ta-talk 'bout 'ang-gur ishus'."

"'Why are you angry, Hailey?"

She shook her head. "Not me, silly! Is 'bout daddy and 'Tasha."

_Should've seen that one coming, Banner_.

"What about your dad and Natasha?"

From what Bruce could tell, while the tension was high the past few weeks that Natasha left suddenly for a mission, the tension was gone. Natasha seemed lighter and she had been spending more time with Hailey like she had before they all met the little girl.

"Daddy got a ang-ry face at lunch," Hailey recalled. "He only make dat face when he _really_ mad 'bout somethin'."

"Well there are a lot of things that could have gone wrong to make him mad, Hailey."

She shook her head once again, more vigorously this time. "It's cozza-we saw Momma 'Tasha at the rest-resto-at the place, and she told-ed us she workin'... but it look'd -ya know in movies? Like... Like Lady and the Tramp with the sp'hetti?"

"Like she was on a date?"

"Uhu. Add-ate."

"Sometimes, that's Natasha's job, Hailey."

"Nuh-uh. She no look like Agent Romanoff playin' dress up. She look-ed Tasha. _My_ Tasha."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"I wants ta know... hows you get from Mister Ang-ry Hulk to Mister Hulk Banner... so's I do for daddy and Tasha. Then they not ang-ry no more and... we goes back ta 'for when we was a family."

"I uh..."

"You no gots form'las for it?"

Bruce sighed. "I'll make one, just for you."

"You's gonna make me, and daddy, and Tasha be a fam'ly 'gain Mister Hulk Banner?!" Hailey's face lit up. "Mister Iron Man was right! You da bestest!"

"No promises," Bruce stated, he watched as the young girl's face fell. "But I'll try."

He looked at Hailey who smiled and tried to cover up her yawn. Bruce smiled at her, "But first you have to promise to go straight back up to your room and sleep. It's way past your bedtime, Miss Morse."

Hailey nodded her head, fatigue catching up on her little body fast. She covered up another yawn as Bruce walked her to the elevator, not trusting her safety in the air vents.

"Good night, Mister Hulk Banner."

"Good night, Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl."

Hailey giggled as doors of the elevators closed.

Bruce sighed. _How do I fix this?__  
_

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Let me know what you guys think!  
Sorry again for the irregular updates. Hopefully you guys are still interested in the story!

Reviews, please? (:


	8. The Suit

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay! I'm planning an event for 4000+ people and... going to school (boring RL stuff really). So this is a short update just to tide you guys over 'coz I don't like to leave you guys waiting.

And to _guest_ who thought that it was bothering me or something that you wanted the next update, I actually appreciated it because it got me off my lazy butt and post (:

**THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS,FAVS, and FOLLOWS!**

Anyway - Enjoy and Happy Reading!

* * *

"Pst! Hailey!" Stark said interrupting the tea party that Hailey had set up in her room. Her brown teddy bear (Mister Fluffy), her white rabbit (Misus Fluffy), and the black bear with an eye patch on its left eye (Mister Fury), was sitting around her with pretend tea and crackers in front of them.

Hailey rolled her eyes and politely excused herself from her tea-table, walking up to Tony Stark. She had her hands akimbo style looking up at Iron Man with a glare that rivaled Natasha's. "Yes Mister Iron Man? You gots-ta make this fast. We's talkin' about important stuff."

"Well do you think you could post-pone your meeting with - wait is that a NICK FURY BEAR?!" Stark exclaimed finally noticing the bear with the patch on him. Hailey smiled at him nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Uncle Fury gaves him to me when I was just little," Hailey explained. "I no wants to leave him so he gaves me Uncle-Director-Fury-Bear, he says so he be with me _always_."

Stark nodded his head eying the bear. He knew that Fury would have put some sort of tech in the bear to watch out for the little girl. It seemed as though everyone was charmed by the young blonde as the Avengers were.

Stark shook his head from his thoughts before smiling back down to Hailey. "Well, I have a surprise for you that's better than the bear."

Hailey's eyes lit up in excitement. "Really?!"

"Yeah! Jarvis and I, well mostly 'I' -"

"I'm afraid that's not true sir, I did most of the work," Jarvis pipped up interrupting Stark. He made a hand motion in the air before turning back to Hailey.

"As I was saying before I was _rudely_ interrupted," Stark continued. "Your suit is finished. Tested and completely safe."

Hailey gasped, her eyes widening. "It is?!"

"Yeah. I was going to ask if you wanted to try it on but I can see that you're busy meeting with _important_ uh... animals?"

"_Stuffed_ animals," she corrected him. "Wait here, okay Mister Iron Man? I gots-ta tell them I gots called away on a very 'portant mission."

"I'll be right here."

Hailey skipped to her tea-table and muttered a goodbye and an excuse that she was being called off on official Avengers mission and had to leave.

"I's sorry," she muttered to her 'guests.' "We gonna we-zoom (resume) the meetin' later, okay? I gots called on 'fish-al buiz-ness."

Stark watched as the little girl shook hands with her stuffed animals before turning to him with a smile on her face. "Is really finished?"

"Of course!"

Hailey looked up at him skeptically." 'zit purple?"

"And -"

"Blue?" Hailey asked him. "Not boy-blue, pretty blue?"

"Pretty blue," Stark replied stepping out of the elevator into his lab and grabbing Hailey's hand to make sure that the mini-assassin doesn't touch anything and blow something up. He was going to be in enough trouble as it was with Barton and Romanoff - and Pepper... and Cap... and Bruce... and - regardless. It was worth it to see the little girl's eyes light up and giggle as she approached the Michelle (Hailey refused to get in a suit that was called 'Mark') 3. The third model, that he had to make sure was safe for the little girl.

"I's can fly 'n it?"

"I would have to teach you."

"An' shoot bad guys like Momma Tasha?"

"You'd have to be really careful."

"An' I talk to Jarvis inside? He gives-ed me advice?"

"If you ask nicely."

Hailey squealed hugging his leg, "Can-May I peas put it on Mister Iron Man? Peas, peas, peas?!"

Tony nodded his head leading the little girl to the small assembling machine that would let the robots put the armor on her.

"Now you have to be really careful and stand still," Tony stated. At that, Hailey froze causing Tony to laugh. "Not that still, just... be relaxed."

Hailey breathed a sigh of relief before nodding her head, relaxing on the podium. Tony watched as his robots gently placed the armor the small girl.

"It's going to be a little heavy, okay?" Tony warned her, not wanting her to go through the shocks.

"O-kay Mister Iron Man."

"And when it finishes assembling, don't do anything until I tell you to, alright?" Tony asked placing his head set complete with a mini camera in the front on himself. He needed to coach her from the outside. He even placed Jarvis' full attention and control on the suit so that if anything happened, Hailey would be safe in it.

"'kay."

With the suit fully assembled on the small girl, Tony watched her awe-d reaction from the small screen in front of him. "You ready to rock, Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl?"

"Super-duper-duper ready Mister Iron Man, sir!"

"Alright so first..."

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I hope you guys liked this one. I know it's pretty short, but I felt bad not updating for so long! A longer chapter should be up as soon as I find time to write a little more.

As always, let me know what you guys think and want to see in the upcoming chapters!


	9. Trouble

Hope you guys still want this story to go on. Let me know either way, please.

**THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS,FAVS, and FOLLOWS!**

Anyway - Enjoy and Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter 11

He watched from a distance as the superheroes across the tower gathered around the little girl. They were all on the balcony overlooking the city, thinking that they were concealed from view.

He wasn't one of the best for no apparent reason. He stood at the top floor of the empire state building and dropped a couple of quarters into the binoculars, playing the part of a New York City tourist.

He had been watching them, looking for a weak spot. A spot where he could hit and would affect them all. After a few months of observing, he figured that the little girl was a sure way to get them to act on what _he_ wanted. After all, he knew for a fact that the two spies would do anything for the little girl. After hijacking Tony Stark's famous Jarvis and finding all the information he could on the little girl, he felt ready.

In a few hours, his plan would be in motion; then he would be able to control the famous Avengers.

Hailey sat obediently in her "school chair" as Natasha sat in front of her teaching her Russian. Hailey sighed tiredly, bored of the grammar that she was slowly starting to grasp. usually she was more attentive but since her lessons on controlling the suit, she would rather spend her time flying and being at high places than sitting learning languages.

"Вы слушаете меня, детка?" (Are you listening to me, baby?) Natasha asked the little girl sensing the way that her eyes moved from the paper to the window.

"Да, мама," Hailey sighed.

"Hailey," Natasha said switching to English, her accent slipping through after speaking a full hour in Russian.

"I knows I not 'pose ta call you 'mama,' buts you says I can if we're 'lone together."

"It's not that. I just want to know what's going on. You're usually more happy when learning Russian."

"I just bored, mama. I con-sentate, I promise. I sorry for make you sad."

"I'm not sad, детка."

Hailey shook her head. "I sad too."

Natasha crunched her eyebrows in confusion. Hailey was usually such a happy little girl who had a great smile on her face. Since the Avengers openly found out about her, and her father lifting her grounding, Hailey seemed so much happier.

"Why are you sad, baby?"

"Coz-a you, and me, and daddy, we don't's get-ta go to the zoo no more, or has movie nights, or anything coz-a you don't love us," Hailey said honestly her eyes focused down on the paper and refusing to meet Natasha's eyes. Natasha had always been strong and there were only a few instances when she ha seen the redhead woman cry. Hailey didn't want Natasha to see her crying.

"Sweetie," Natasha whispered, her heart breaking at the sight of the little girl. She brushed Hailey's blonde locks out of her face and cupped her chin, gently lifting her face so that Natasha could see her eyes. Eyes which were exactly like her fathers. They were watered and tears were running down the young girl's cheeks which Natasha brushed away with a small smile. "This is why we didn't want to - why we didn't... you weren't supposed to get sad by it."

"I wants you ta be my momma still."

"I can't."

"Coz-a you don't loves me anymore."

"That's... that's not true, Hailey."

"Hows-come other kids gets to have mommies?" Hailey asked her innocently, tears slipping down her face, one after another. "How comes some peoples have two mommies who loves them and I don't even gets one? I just wants one, I just wants you."

Natasha shook her head in protest taking the little girl gently in her arms, wrapping her arms around the small child. "You will always be my little girl."

Hailey sobbed in her arms.

Natasha soothed the small child. "I will _always_, _always_ love you. That's a promise."

The two sa there clutching each other as Hailey's sobbing died down, letting fall into a much needed slumber. Natasha stood up easily with a sleeping Hailey in her arms, going into the elevator and pressing the button that took her to Clint's floor.

"Hey, your lessons ended early," Clint greeted them trying to take the sleeping girl from Natasha's arms. Natasha only shook her head in response to his action causing him to back up. "What's wrong?"

"Let me put her down," Natasha whispered. "We need to talk."

Clint nodded his head, following Natasha and lingering by the door as she set Hailey down on her princess bed. He watched as Natasha leaned over the small girl, placing a kiss on her temple and tucking her in her covers like she knew Hailey loved. He watched the the redhead closed the overhead curtains which gave the bed a full effect of "princess," before turning to face him, the tenderness on her face that was there moments earlier were gone.

Clint followed Natasha as she walked determined to the living room, sitting on one of the black leather couches.

"What happened?" Clint asked Natasha who sat silently on the couch, looking at one of the pictures on the mantle of the fireplace.

"She cried herself to sleep," Natasha whispered. "She hasn't done that since... for a long time."

"What was wrong? Did she tell you? She hasn't told me that anything was wrong," Clint rambled standing up and pacing across the table in the living room. "Who hurt her?"

"Us," Natasha whispered. "We... she didn't - I understand you don't want me in her life. But does she get to have a choice?"

"What?"

"She didn't think I loved her anymore... That I just left her. God Clint! Do you know how much that hurts? You have to let me see her more than a few lessons a week."

"We've talked about this Natasha," Clint sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "It's over-"

Natasha stood up from her seat coming to Clint's face. Although she was considerably smaller than him, she wasn't any less intimidating. "I don't give a damn if _we're_ over, Barton. If you want to move on; I don't care. What-who I care about is that little girl in there who thinks that she's not good enough to have a mother because Bobbi died when she was younger and.. and she think I left her."

Clint took a step back from her before sighing, closing his eyes in defeat. "This is exactly why I didn't want you two to get close."

"Well it's too late for that now, isn't it?" Natasha argued. "You said to me, you made me _promise_ when we started whatever we did that we were going to do whatever it took to make her happy. That if she didn't want me to be in your life, I would have to walk out because Hailey came first. I'm not asking to be your - whatever the hell we were. I'm just asking that you let me take her to the zoo, or to the park, or something... _anything_. Clint, please."

Clint looked at the redhead, meeting his blue eyes with her green ones. "I... I just thought - I wanted what was best for her."

"I know," Natasha whispered.

"Just.. let me know when you're taking her out?"

Natasha smiled at him nodding her head before turning her back to him, walking straight to the elevator.

Clint stood at his spot resisting the urge to put his arms around her.

He stepped into the ground floor of the Avenger's Tower, pressing the button for the elevator.

"Good evening Mr. Petrovich," Jarvis greeted him as he walked into the elevator. "What floor would you like to go on?"

"Where are the Avengers, Jarvis?"

"Mister Stark and Doctor Banner are in the lab, sir. Agent Barton is sleeping in his floor, the god of Thunder is in New Mexico, and Agent Romanoff has been called off to the SHIELD."

Ivan smiled. "And where is the Little Hawk?"

"She is in her room, sir."

"Take me there, shut off all surveillance and electricity, except for the far east elevator, until I leave the building," Ivan stated.

"Will do, sir," Jarvis replied, lighting up Clint's floor number.

* * *

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	10. A Sign

What? An update? Yeah, sorry about the delay I've been so busy in RL lately that I thought I could update but... I didn't look at my calendar before thinking.

I hope you guys like this chapter! Feedback is _always_ appreciated.

(Revised... for grammar errors. )

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* * *

Chapter 10

Hailey woke up dizzy, her instincts kicking in that a, she was no longer in her comfy bed safe from the world and b, she was in a plane.

"I see you are awaken," Ivan stated noticing the shift in her body's movements. He spoke with a thick Russian accent, his voice deep as he looked at the little girl beside him. Her usual long blonde hair was haphazardly cut on the way to the airport and dyed a dark brown. He placed contacts in her eyes as she was unconscious and changed her clothing in order to disguise her through a civilian airport with a fake passport.

Hailey shut her eyes and shook her head hoping that it was all a nightmare. She raised her right hand and pinched herself hoping that she wouldn't feel the pain - because nightmares and dreams couldn't hurt you, that's what Natasha told her.

Ivan chuckled from his chair as he watched the daughter of the Hawk; the Hawk who stole his little girl.

zzzzzzzzzz

Bruce held the flashlight at the power box while Tony fidgeted with the electricity confused. Everything was working. The electricity was on, but it wasn't.

"Could it be possible that Jarvis was hacked?" Bruce asked him.

Tony shook his head "No, that's... it would take years to get through all of my defense systems and..."

"Natasha has done it more than once in a couple of seconds," Bruce pointed out.

Tony stood up from where he was squatting, "she's a trained -"

The lights turned on as if nothing happened, the time on the clock read the time on Tony's wrist watch.

It wasn't a power outage.

"Jarvis," Tony called out to his AI.

"Sir?"

"What just happened?"

"Sir, my security protocols has been breached, I have been requested to shut off all electricity for a time period."

"Where... where did you bring the -"

"Agent Barton's floor, sir."

Tony and Bruce's eyes met.

_Hailey._

_zzzzzzzzz_

Natasha walked up to Nick Fury's office, her black leather suit on wondering what it was that she was called in for on her one day off.

"Agent Romanoff, is there a problem?" Fury asked as Natasha strolled into his office, coming to a stop in front of his desk.

"You called for me sir," she responded.

"It's your day off, Romanoff. Contrary to popular belief, we _can_ function with agents taking days off."

"Sir, I got a message from your number stating that I had to get on the Helicarrier ASAP."

Fury shook his head pulling out his StarkTech phone from its case, scrolling down on the messages. What he found was something else. A video popped up on his screen - a gagged and bound Hailey Barton and a black and white picture of a young girl with an eerie resemblance to Natasha on the side.

Fury sighed, his eye meeting that of the usual stoic agent.

"Agent Romanoff, have you heard from Agent Barton lately?"

Natasha scrunched her eyebrows together. "No sir, I..."

"I suggest you check your phone."

She opened her phone, fifteen missed calls from Stark. She frowned.

"Sir... What's... What's going on?"

Fury sighed, he hated this part of the job. "It seems as though Hailey has been kidnapped."

"You are undergoing your training, yes?" Ivan asked the Hailey as she stood in the middle of a ring, another girl, twice her height on the other side.

"No I-" Hailey refuted, Ivan shook his head and flicked his hand. The older girl went ran to Hailey with the intent of attacking her. Hailey deflected the attack just as Natasha had taught her and adapted the stance of the Black Widow.

Ivan smiled on the side. "I see, _my_ Natalia has trained you, child."

He waived his hand for the other girl to continue attacking Hailey who repeatedly was able to dodge attacks left and right. When the older girl fell on Hailey's outstretched feet, Hailey put her hand out to help her opponent up. The girl one the ground smile up at Hailey taking her hand then twisting it behind her back, earning a scream from the younger girl.

Ivan ran into the ring and pulled the older girl from Hailey who was trying not to cry. "I told you, you are not to harm her!"

The girl glared at Hailey, as Ivan raised his hand and smacked her across the face causing her to fly to the edge of the ring.

Hailey looked up at Ivan shocked. He went up to touch her shoulders but she deflected them away cradling her still aching hand and arm.

"You still have heart," Ivan said with a grimace. "That will change soon."

zzzzzzzzzz

Natasha ran to common floor of the Tower, actually out of breath for once in her life. She was met with the team sitting around the couch, Tony on one of his tablets and CCTV and other surveillance feeds were playing all around the screens of the room.

Bruce was sitting on the couch also examining the videos hoping to get a glimpse of the little girl who stole everyone's heart. Pepper and Jane were doing the same.

The redhead scanned the room once more looking for the one person she needed to talk to about what happened. She had some sort of a lead but she wanted to run it through Clint first, broken up or not, he was still her partner and her best confidant.

"Where's Clint?" Natasha asked softly not wanting to distract anyone from searching for Hailey.

"We don't know," Pepper turned around to talk to her, standing from her position on the couch motioning for Jane to take over the screens she was in charge of surveying as well.

Natasha found it odd, "Why don't you just ask Jarvis to scan it for you?"

Tony grumbled from his position on the couch, while Pepper ushered Natasha to the elevator, pressing Clint's floor.

"Jarvis has been compromised," Pepper said softly as they entered the elevator. "The electricity was shut off with the surveillance. We only have a picture of a man in a gray hoodie who was entering the elevator then everything went dark…"

Pepper sighed watching as the redhead locked her jaw as Pepper handed her the blurry, scaled picture of a man dressed in a gray hoodie, his face strategically hidden from the camera's view.

"Jarvis has been disbanded until further notice," Pepper stated. "Tony is really sorry about this, Natasha."

Natasha nodded her head stepping out of the elevator when the doors opened to Clint's floor. The place was trashed, though she wasn't sure if it was the man in the picture or Clint's rage that did it.

"When was the last time you saw Clint?"

"Before Tony called me, as soon as the powers went up again, they went straight up here. Clint was still here and when Tony and Bruce went to call Thor and I – he just… disappeared."

Natasha looked around nodding her head. She waived at Pepper dismissively wishing to be alone as she walked down the hall to Hailey's room. No signs of struggle, that was good. She walked over to the bed, trying to hold her tears but was unsuccessful as she sat on the bed hugging Hailey's blanket crying.

She stayed there for a while before composing herself, knowing hat she was no use to the little girl as a bawling mad man. Instead she stood up still holding the blanket in her hand, taking a deep breathe of the scent that was uniquely Hailey's before making up the bed again and closing the princess curtains behind her.

She walked silently to the elevator taking in the scene before punching the button to get down to the garage.

Natasha knew where Clint was, she was going to come to him whether he liked it or not.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Clint sat at the unmarked grave sight of Bobbi Morse - unmarked because she had also made enemies and even in death, they might not let her be at peace. He didn't want that for her; he loved her.

"I need you to watch out for her, Bob," he muttered using the shortened name he used to call her. A name that she used to hate because she always said it sounded like a man's name. "Our little girl is out there all alone without her daddy and her mommy, and I know she's strong but she's still scared."

He sighed tracing the white roses in the vase, white roses that was always there, fresh every time he visited. "Sorry didn't bring you flowers - you always hated them. I remember so I didn't bother."

Clint closed his eyes and laid his head against the white unmarked marble. "I really need your help here, Bob. You send me sign, anything; you help me find our little girl... I know I've been a horrible father but... I… I'll make it up to her, and you. I promise I'll be better - be the father I promised you I would be to her. Give her the life she deserves… I just need you to give me a sign, a direction of where I can start looking. You know I won't stop until I find her…"

"I just... I need to find her -"

"Then get your ass off the floor, Barton," Natasha said walking up to the unmarked grave, nodding at the flowers in acknowledgement.

Clint, surprised sat up and looked at her, his eye bloodshot from crying. "This is none of your business, Natasha."

Natasha shut her eyes and counted to ten to calm down her anger before opening her mouth to speak only to be interrupted by Clint.

"What are you doing here, Natasha?"

"I have a lead on where Hailey could be... I need my partner."

Clint looked at her, and looked at the gravestone. "Okay."

* * *

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	11. Rooms and Suits

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Chapter 11

"You said you had a lead?" Clint asked looking at Natasha with expectant eyes. Natasha had his hand in hers dragging him into her old apartment which he should have figured out that she didn't give up when they all moved into the Tower. Hell sometimes he wished he didn't give up his apartment when the guys - Tony in particular became too much to handle.

"I do," Natasha replied opening the door to her apartment. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Water, thanks."

Clint shook his head taking in the change in the apartment which he has been in a million times. When he was away on missions and Natasha was not, Hailey would stay there. The little girl even had a room designate to her for when those events happened. When Natasha and Clint moved their relationship forward, he and Hailey would stay over - just because he was an asshole and didn't feel comfortable with Natasha being in the apartment that he shared with Bobbi.

A lot of things have changed, the furniture, it's placements, the decor. It was a little more homey than he was used to it being - it was more homey than Natasha's floor at the Tower. There still weren't pictures of people, but she added pictures of places which he figured brought her memories. One of the pictures on the mantle was the Denver skyline with the Rockies in the background. He picked up the picture and smiled knowing when she took it and why.

IT was the three months that Fury had given him off when he lost his hearing. For three months, he, Hailey, and Natasha spent their time in Denver being a normal family and recovering from the terrors of the world.

Natasha looked back at him handing him the water and a few pills to help him sober up. "I... I was going to take that picture down but I... I guess I haven't' really had the time."

"No, it's fine," he replied putting the picture back onto the mantle.

She nodded her head letting silence fall in the room before she cleared her throat. "Uh, so I think we should start a plan for what I have."

"Yeah," he whispered meeting her eye before pulling his gaze away awkwardly, his head still throbbing.

She titled her head in a gesture for him to follow her, leading him into the room which used to be Hailey's. It's now been transformed into a pseudo office, the "plum pink" walls that used to cover it painted a shade of blue and the bed that was Hailey's favorite gone from sight.

"Certainly didn't waste time getting u out of your life," Clint muttered looking around the room. If he didn't know better he would have thought the room had never been a little girl's room. Even the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling were taken off and repainted to hide the evidence.

That was the room where Hailey took her first step, said her first words (dada) , and it was the room where Clint would sing Hailey lullabies when she was little. When he couldn't face going back to the apartment where Bobbi lived, that's where he was; at Natasha's house. It was where Natasha had taught him how to change a diaper, how to burp a baby because he was honestly falling apart and she was there to help him. It started off as an empty white room that Natasha didn't know what to do with but had because the view was amazing looking out the window. It slowly progressed to have a cradle which turned into a toddler's bed. A closet and a play chest. A book case that held all the books that Clint wished his parents read to him when he was little; books that Natasha stood outside in the doorway listening to the stories of the Cat in the Hat or Fernando the Bull.

The room held a lot of memories... erased with the plum pink paint.

Natasha frowned hearing his statement. "What was that?"

Clint shook his head, his curling his hands into fists out of anger. "Nothing."

She nodded, sitting down at her computer and booting it up. She typed in her password, the classified background of SHEILD came up., following by the picture that was sent to her by who she thought was Ivan.

"I had Tony send the images from the surveillance and Jarvis' recordings of the person other than the Avengers who controlled him. It matched to be Ivan. Besides, the code he used to hack Jarvis was in Russian, pretty obvious if you ask me."

He nodded in understanding. "What does it have to do with Hailey?"

She sighed pulling up a notepad that was full of Russian, some Clint couldn't understand because they all seemed choppy. Besides, his drunken mind was trying hard to process English let alone another language all together.

"You're going to have to translate for me, Nat..."

"He took her because you took me," Natasha whispered. She turned her head to meet his gaze, "I'm sorry."

Clint clenched his jaw, his hands back into fists as he controlled his anger, harder than it was on a normal basis drunk.

"What does he want?"

"Revenge."

"What does he want in exchange for my daughter?"

"There's a reason why I didn't want the team on this," she stated with a sigh, turning around in her chair to face him. She smiled a sad smile at him before continuing. "I'm pretty sure that he wants to train her like he trained me. She's going to be the next Widow and I can't... I won't let that happen to her, Clint."

Clint nodded, "So what's the plan?"

"I've signed my resignation letter. I'm going to need you to give this to Fury. I've tracked Hailey's' whereabouts... They never took off the necklace I bought her for her second birthday... I'm going to shut Ivan down."

"And if you can't?" he asked her. "If you can't shut him down because he's trained other Widows who are there waiting for you? What then?"

"All he wants is revenge on you for taking me. I'll asses the situation, if it looks too much at first, I'll trade myself in, for Hailey. Make sure that she's back with you. He doesn't have to train me, it will be a good bargain for him."

Clint looked at her in disbelief. "DO you know what he'd -"

She nodded her head. "That's the reason why I didn't tell the team I know where she is. Stark is going to want to go in there with a half thought out plan and shit's going to hit the fan. I don't want that to happen, not with Hailey's life at risk."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"I need your plane. Ivan has them in Mexico at the moment and I'm going to need you to fly me down there. I have the blueprints of the building and I think I know where he's keeping the girls - Hailey at least. You get her out of there while I distract him."

"And then?"

"And then you two fly out and go."

He nodded his head, his drunken mind not realizing what Natasha had just told him. That she was going to risk her life, who she was in order to get him his daughter back.

"And you?"

"I'm a big girl Clint, just make sure that Hailey's okay."

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Tony sat in his lab looking at the mini-Iron Man suit that he created for Hailey. Nobody else knew about the suit but he and Hailey and he was surprised that with all the excitement the little girl was able to contain their secret. Although in retrospect, he shouldn't really be surprised considering the little girl was raised around the two most secretive people in the world.

"Tony what are you doing down here, you're supposed to get some sleep," Pepper stated walking into the lab unnoticed. With Jarvis still disabled, Tony was no longer warned about people sneaking up on him. He smiled a small smile knowing that Hailey would think it was pathetic that he couldn't sense the people around him like she had been trained by her parents to do.

"I just-" he sighed curling up in Pepper's arms which went around him soothingly. "I never thought…"

"It's not your fault, you know," she whispered soothingly as she stroked his hair. "They don't blame you for it."

He shook his head. "If they didn't, then why don't they come back. I don't blame them – I promised them that this place was safe. That they could trust me, Jarvis with their little girl… and I failed them."

"You did not fail them, Tony Stark. You did everything you could."

"What if it's not enough?"

She shook her head not wanting to think of the possibilities which would scar not only Clint and Natasha but the whole team who has gotten close to the little girl.

"What if we lose her, Pep?"

"We won't," she replied. "She was the world's mightiest heroes looking for her. She has her mom watching over her. She has Natasha, and Clint – and hell all of SHIELD and Fury. We'll find her Tony."

"Promise me we'll do everything we can to find her."

"Let's go to bed," Pepper said tugging on his hand. "You'll be of better help if you get some sleep."

Tony nodded his head, walking out of the lab, one last glance at the small Iron Man suit he made for Hailey, before shutting the lights off.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Ivan stood on the other side of the window as Hailey was poked and prodded by the doctors on the other side. She was trained, he knew that much. After all, neither Natalia or her Hawk would be stupid enough to let the most precious thing in their lives go unguarded. So far, all they he was getting from the doctors were positive signals. That Hailey Morse can start her super serum treatments the following day when the lab was prepared. Unlike many of the girls that they brought into the program, Hailey was very healthy.

After one final prodding, a doctor stepped out of the room to greet Ivan. "Hola, Senior Petrovich."

Ivan nodded his head at the doctor. "¿Cómo es la niña?" _How is she?_

"Bueno, empezamos mañana procedimiento." _Good, we can start the procedure tomorrow_.

Ivan nodded and smiled walking past the doctor and into the room where a sedated Hailey was laying, in fetal position on the stretcher.

"Soon I will have my revenge," he whispered to himself with a smirk.

"That you will, my friend," Loki's apparition flickered in the background, a mischievous smirk on his face as well.

* * *

**OH WHAT? LOKI? *evil smirk***

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	12. The Rescue

I hope you guys like this chapter!** It's super duper long**. Yes it took me three days to finish (still unbeta'd so I would appreciate if you guys let me know where I've screwed up so I can go back and change it.)

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* * *

Chapter 12

Natasha and Clint sat in the sewage system of the Red Room, happy that they chose old Russian architecture to camp in so that the system was large enough for them to walk through.

"You sure about this plan, Nat?" Clint asked her. A million questions were in his head, like what if it was a trap? What if... Hailey wasn't in there? What if his daughter was, but she was dead? What would he do then?

"Clint?" Natasha asked seeing the archer a few steps behind her. He was frozen mid-step and she rushed back to stand next to him. "Are you okay?"

He shook of the feeling of dread and nodded his head. "Just fine."

She nodded her head in return nudging him with her shoulder. "Ivan wouldn't kill her. He needs her, don't worry."

"Right, sorry."

"You ready for this?" she asked him as they reached the part of the tunnel that split into two directions. She would be taking the right, which lead to the front entrance of the compound. Clint would go to the left and enter the compound from the back, sneak in and find Hailey and rescue his daughter.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Tell Hailey I love her," Natasha whispered to him. "When you find her, tell her I love her."

Clint nodded his head. "I promise you I will."

She nodded her head moving forward in her part of the tunnel, leaving Clint in the middle. He shook his head once again, knowing that he was being paranoid. It felt strangely as though Natasha was saying goodbye. But she wouldn't leave them, not if she had a choice, he knew that. He sighed and moved forward into the compound knowing that plan like the back of his hand with Natasha's briefings and her constant quizzing him on their way to the compound in Mexico.

He crawled through the smaller areas of the sewer, shedding his outer garments in order to get the stench of the sewer out. He lights a small fire on his outer uniform shell, knowing that the fire would be only contained within his suit. He watched as the evidence that he entered through the sewer gone.

Clint crawled up and found the opening, a ventilation system, crawling through it for what felt like hours. He was starting wonder if he was right, if it was all a trap. He hoped to hell it wasn't. That was when he heard the scream. Her scream. _Hailey's_ scream.

He moved to where the he the screams were coming from, hoping that there was a vent opening there.

_"Tell me, Hailey Morse, why do you think you are here?"_

_"Yous a bad guy," Hailey responded, "my daddy and momma Tasha gonna kick your butt!"_

_Ivan laughed. "You think your daddy and _momma Tasha_ can kick my 'butt'? Charge her again."_

Hailey's screams filled the room once again.

Clint looked around for an opening. Anything. He needed to save his little girl, he couldn't just stand by there without doing anything.

He crawled a few more yards before finding an opening in the system. He didn't care whether or not he opened it stealthy. He didn't care what he did as long as he saved his little girl on the other side.

He ended up in another room a room on to the left of where he could still hear the screams of his little girl.

Happy that the room he ended up in was clearly empty, he took the bow and on his back and made sure that it was still there. He took his two hand pistols and made sure that they were ready. Checked his back pockets for the six extra mags that he was carrying. He turned his weapon off of safe and ran to the next room, guns aimed out in front of him.

What he found, he wasn't ready for. He wasn't ready to see his little girl, strapped on a table with wires coming out from all around her. Burn marks from where they put the charges on her.

"Hailey?" he whispered. She was still alive, her heart monitor showed that she was still alive. But she wasn't moving.

"Hailey, honey," he whispered caressing her hair. He kissed her forehead. "Hailey please wake up."

He knew he didn't have time for it so he unstrapped her from the machines as carefully as he could carrying her with him, his pistols ready.

"Tash? I found her."

"Is she okay? She's alive?"

"She's alive, they… The tortured her and I don't know what else is in her body - Tasha I..."

"What room are you in? I'll meet you for back up. I found the antidote for her serum when I killed Petrovich."

"You've called for backup?"

"I have, ETA ten minutes."

"I'm moving towards the North, some hallway."

"I'll meet you halfway."

Clint looked at his sleeping daughter, hoping beyond hope that it wasn't too late.

Natasha ran up to Clint, her clothes bloodied. "Tasha, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, here is the serum. Make sure she takes it," she said handing him two small bottles, no labels. Natasha then made a move to run further into the compound.

"Where are you going, Tasha?"

"There's... there's something I have to do," Natasha stated. "I... There's other girls here, Clint. I can't leave them. I can't let them turn into a monster like I did."

"But the cleanup -"

"You're going to have to meet the extraction team yourself until the cleanup team is here. I'm not leaving these girls."

"Are you sure?"

"You have the serum, you have to fix Hailey," she stated as she ran away from where he stood with Hailey. Natasha stopped at the next corridor. "Hey Barton?"

"Yeah, Tash?"

"You tell her I love her," she said. "Promise me, that you'll tell her I love her."

"I promise."

With that for the second time in a couple of hours Natasha ran from where Clint stood. Clint shook his head running to the front entrance trusting that Natasha had disabled all the guards in the front of the building. He ran straight out and a half a mile, never stopping until he reached the rendezvous point where there were agents and a helicopter waiting for him.

"She was injected with some sort of... I don't know. Natasha - Agent Romanoff she gave me the antidote."

The medical crew took the serum from his hands. "We will administer the serums sir, please set her down on the stretcher."

"She - they were burning her. I... I don't know what else."

"I'm going to need you to..."

"Barton," Hill stated getting up from the front of the helicopter, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Trust the med team. I brought the best with me, she's going to be okay."

"I just -"

"I know, where is Romanoff?"

"She... She stayed behind," Clint stated running his hand through his face. "There's other girls out there... She - She wants to save them."

"I've called in a team for her and the girls," Maria stated nodding her head, knowing that she communicated with Natasha but still expected her to come back with Barton and his little girl, like the family that they were.

"What happened in there, Barton?"

"I don't know."

zzzzzzzzz

Natasha Romanoff didn't look back. She knew that one Clinton Barton, the man who saved her from the exact life that those girls upstairs lived, didn't love her. He was stuck in the past and that was alright, that saving his daughter would do more good. He didn't need to know that she traded her life for the Hailey. Didn't need to know that she would do anything to make him and his daughter happy because they were the only family - the only semblance to normalcy that she ever had in her life.

She ran until she reached the end of the compound, coming back into the control room where Ivan and Loki were waiting for her.

"We saw the feed," Ivan stated looking over at Natasha with a smile. "You did a very good job fooling your _partner_."

"You also did a very good job defeating all the Black Widows that were trained after you," Loki pointed out.

"I have to say, Natalia," Ivan stated nodding his head. "I am very impressed. You have gotten better through time, I did not think that there was room for improvement with such... perfect product."

"I am not perfect," Natasha replied.

"Au contraire," Loki stated with a smile, raising his center up pulling it on her heart. "You do have heart, and with my powers, you will be perfect."

"What happens," Natalia asked turning to Ivan and Loki. "What happens to the other girls?"

"We don't need it, we don't need them anymore now that we have you."

"And what if I die?"

"You won't," Loki smirked at her. "I - We have greater plans for you, Agent Romanova."

Natasha closed her eyes and thought of Hailey, and Clint, preparing herself for the end.

_Natasha walked through to the entrance subduing all six guards that were on the level. They were brute muscle but she was quick and cunning. But even she knew that it was too easy. _

_"Come back home, Natalia?" she heard someone call out from her from behind. Natasha turned around to see a girl, no older than sixteen standing in front of a mass of other girls. They were all dressed in familiar garb that she remembered from her training, malnourished and yet all in a stance that showed they were ready to fight. Ready to take her down. _

_"How do you know me?'_

_"You are the most successful Black Widow that Papa has created," their leader told her. "But you betrayed him, and your family. You've betrayed us all."_

_"I didn't - listen to me, what he's doing... what he did to you...All of you, it is wrong."_

_"No Natalia," the girl said her stance getting more into attack mode. "You are wrong."_

_The girl struck Natasha while another three girls did as well. Natasha rolled her eyes and reverted back to the training she had gotten years ago, when she was in the Room and the way to fight was to subdue enemies in masses. The day when she had gotten the title of Black Widow when she was able to defeat every single girl who was in the program training with her. _

_She trusted her instincts dropping the girls around her, enough to incapacitate them but not enough to kill them. She knew that afterwards she would have a good few hours where they would all be lying there, for Clint to pass by without them being a worry and to think of a way for SHEILD to take them as new recruits just as Clint had done for her. _

_She walked down the hallway hearing more clatter, hearing the screams that were coming from the room. _

_She powered up her Widow Bites and had her pistol ready. This time her purpose not to simply incapacitate the people inside. Anyone who hurt Hailey would die._

_She tore down the door, her gun ready. What she saw was something she didn't expect. Standing inside the door was Ivan Petrovich who was controlling the machines that kept at Hailey. Standing next to a sobbing Hailey was Loki. His scepter that Thor had assured them would be separated from his brother in hand. _

_"Natalia, we have been expecting you," Ivan smiled. "I see you have gotten our message."_

_"Let her go Ivan," Natasha stated, her gun aimed at Ivan. "She's done nothing to you."_

_"Ah, but she has done something to me," Loki countered. "The memory of her has always put Barton in a less ideal capacity. He could never be fully in my control with her memory nagging at him."_

_"What do you want, Loki?"_

_"What do I want, Agent Romanoff?" the dark haired Asguardian asked her with a smirk. "I know you want to take the girl. Take her and save her. But what are you willing to give me, in exchange for little Miss Barton here."_

_"Anything you want," Natasha bargained. "I want her safe, unharmed, assurance that she will be safe and unharmed."_

_"In exchange for you, and your memories?" Ivan asked her. "We will wipe your memories of SHEILD, of Barton. It would be as if you never left."_

_She turned to Ivan, determination in her eyes. "If you can give me your word, bounded through whatever promise of realm that she will be safe..."_

_Ivan and Loki looked at each other, Loki motioning with his hands to Ivan that it would be a fair deal. _

_"I think, Agent Romanoff, you've gotten yourself a bargain."_

_The three of them heard the creak from the ventilation system. It was a subtle noise but Natasha as well as other two men in the room knew exactly who it was. "Barton?"_

_"We leave the room for him to get Hailey," Natasha stated making eye contact with both men._

_"And the antidote to the super solider serum that we have pumped in her?" Loki asked with a smirk. "Without it, she will never live a normal life."_

_"You assured me, that in exchange for me, she will be safe. No antidote, I will kill myself."_

_"And kill her in the process?"_

_"She dies and you might as well have killed me too," she admitted to the two. _

_Ivan and Loki once again looked at one another, communicating not through words. "The antidote is located in a room, three hallways down, first room to the right. There are two vials, unmarked. One red, and one blue. You take both, you deliver it to Barton, you come back to us."_

_"And if I don't? "she challenged. "If I go with them."_

_"We blow up the building," Ivan stated revealing a kill switch in his hands. "You see, Romanova. The blood of those girls you took down, the blood of Barton and his child are in your hands."_

_"I take this serum, and then what? where would I go?"_

_"At the end of the hall way there is a control room. You meet us there."_

_The apparitions of Ivan and Loki disappeared from the room. Natasha slipped out quietly running down the hall to the room where the serum is located. _

_In the control room, Ivan's physical body gasped for air. Loki sat on a seat nearby watching the scenes unfold. Romanoff scavenging through the room for the serum while Barton walked into the room with his daughter lying in the stretcher. _

_"You think she'll run?" Ivan asked Loki. _

_Loki shook his head. "She won't. The Bartons, she would give her life, bargain the world for their safety and happiness."_

_Ivan nodded his head, his eyebrows meeting in confusion. "We never pumped a serum into her. Those vials that Natalia is looking for is the serum."_

_"Yes," Loki stated, "the little Hawk will be a super soldier."_

zzzzzzz

Forty-five hours, eighteen minutes, twenty-seven seconds. That was how long Clint has been sitting at his daughter's bedside. Her chest was still rising and falling, the antidote that Natasha had given him for Hailey still dripping through her IV. They diluted the antidote in order not to shock her small body.

The heart rate monitor started changing, started a large beeping noise, which got Clint's attention as well as the rest of the medical wing. Clint took his little girl's hand in his.

"Hailey, please calm down."

Hailey thrashed around yelling in the broken Russian that Natasha had been teaching her. She was screaming help. Screaming for her mom, for him. For the Avengers.

"Hailey," Clint whispered into her ear as he did when she would get nightmares. "Open your eyes princess, you're back. You're safe."

Hailey shook her head vigorously replying in Russian that it wasn't true. it was a dream.

"Princess, please. It's okay, daddy's here."

Hailey gasped for air, opening her eyes. Her blue eyes scanned the room rapidly, terrified before her eyes landed on her daddy.

"Daddy?"

"Hey sweetie," Clint replied with a smile on his face. Hailey looked up at him in relief.

"Daddy!" she cried out throwing her arms out around his neck embracing him.

"You're safe baby," he said kissing her forehead. "You're safe."

Hailey beamed at him. "I knew you was gonna save me daddy. You and Momma gonna save me..."

"Yeah, your Momma Tasha was the one who found you," Clint replied. "She told me to tell you that she loved you, very much."

Hailey nodded her head. She looked passed her dad and around the hospital. In her room were the Avengers, and Missus Agent Auntie -Ria and Mister Director Nick Fury; but there was one person missing.

"Where Momma?" Hailey asked him.

"She's..." Clint looked back at his team who was watching the scene unfold. Hailey trashed around looking for Natasha in panic.

"Daddy you has to find Momma!"

"Honey, she's safe," Clint stated trying to calm her down.

"No dada! Loki back! He back and Mister Pet-evil bad guy said they's took me coz they's wanna take Momma and all her mer-mories so theys can 'trol her," Hailey explained in one breath. "You has to find Momma! I don't wants a two momma dead."

Clint looked back at Maria and Fury who heard everything that Hailey had just said. The rest of the Avengers walked up to Hailey welcoming her back, Tony even brought the suitcase that contained her protective costume.

"Hey Iron-Black-Hawk-Bird-Girl," Tony said stepping up to her bed with a smile. With that, Clint slipped out of the room knowing his daughter was safe with the Avengers. He needed to check on the recon team that was supposed to bring Natasha back with the rest of the girls.

He walked down the hallway to catch up with Maria Hill and Fury who were talking in hushed tones.

"Where is she? Shouldn't she be back by now?" Clint asked them.

"Agent Barton," Maria said getting serious and looking at him with solemn and pity in her eyes. "We've just been alerted that the compound... with Agent Romanoff and the other girls was bombed."

"What?"

"The satellite feed we received shows that there's nothing left. We're sending a team there to see if there were any survivors nearby but - It's highly unlikely."

Clint shook his head. "No, Natasha said..."

"I'm sorry, Clint," Maria whispered slipping a key to him. "This is the key to her burn locker. You're listed as her contact."

Clint reached out and took the key from Maria his hands shaking. He walked past the medical area taking a peak into the room that Hailey was in. The Avengers were still entertaining his daughter. He met Steve's eyes through the glass, throwing him a nod before walking to where SHEILD kept the burn lockers of their agents on missions.

Hers was on the third row, far corner. Past that of Phil and Sitwell. The key weighed heavy in his hand until he reached the locker. He was about to turn the lock but stopped himself.

She wouldn't be dead.

_Couldn't_ be dead.

He knew that what he had done in the past few months to her, cutting her out of Hailey's life was stupid. All three of them suffered because of the break-up, Natasha more so than he and Hailey, because while they had each other Natasha was left with no one.

He needed her to be alive. Needed her to be alive so he can apologize for his actions.

He turned his back on her locker. He couldn't do it, she wasn't dead. Loki and Petrovich would stage for her to look dead. It was in their pattern of behavior. Petrovich for one had already made a small red headed girl appear to be dead in a fire all those years ago. It was only fitting that he would try the same thing. For the whole compound to look dead, that Natasha went down in flames. However, they didn't anticipate that Hailey was listening. That Hailey knew their plans regarding Natasha and would alert the Avengers.

Clint walked with determined steps in to Hailey's room, the key to Natasha's burn room in his hands. He tucked it into his pocket when he walked into the room.

"Clint, what's going on?" Steve asked pulling him aside. Clint shrugged him off coughing to get the attention of the room.

"Did you find Momma?" Hailey piped out from her bed.

"I will, don't worry honey," Clint said stepping up to his daughter. "I'll do whatever it takes to get her back to us."

The Avengers looked at him.

"Hailey, princess, daddy and the Avengers are going to be just outside talking about grown up stuff, alright? Auntie Pepper will be here for you."

Hailey nodded her head but with confusion. "Why I-s not know? I-s was a brave girl!"

"I know baby," Clint responded pushing some of her blonde hair away from her face. "But this is grown up stuff. We need you to get better first. Then we'll all go on a vacation."

"Like Disneyland?"

Clint smiled at the memory of taking her to Disneyland with Natasha. "Yeah, I'm sure your Momma Tasha would love to ride the tea cups with you again."

Hailey smiled at him, letting his hand go. "Okay daddy, yous go wit 'Vengers team for grown up stuff."

Clint exited the room, with all the Avengers in tow.

"What's going on, Barton? Where is Romanoff?" Tony asked as soon as the door shut behind Bruce who filed out of the room last.

"She," Clint started, a bile rising in his throat. He pulled out the key that Maria handed him earlier the day. The others gasped knowing what it was. After all, as Avengers they all had one courtesy of Stark's near miss with Pepper.

"You mean she's -"

"No!" Clint protested. "She's not dead. You heard Hailey. You heard her say she's not... I would know, I would _feel it._ She's not gone."

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	13. the Black Widow

I'm so **sorry** that it's taken forever for me to update the story! I had no idea where I was taking it so... I had eight different drafts until I decided I liked this one. I hope you guys forgive me, and are still interested in the story! - also due to the update taking forever, I'm counting on feedback to tell me whether or not to finish the story here or continue.

Feedback is _always_ appreciated.

**THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS,FAVS, and FOLLOWS!**

Anyway - Enjoy and Happy Reading!

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__Chapter 13

_"You will be welcomed as a traitor, Natalia," a man with a deep voice, his face covered by a shadow. _

_She heard another voice, a chuckle from across the room. "And you will be punished for closing my portal. My chance at winning Earth."_

_She was strapped onto a bed, she could her the heart rate monitor going. _

_"We will see you on the other side, Natalia."_

_She felt the chemicals kick in her system, and that was when the world turned dark. _

She woke up with a start. A scream in terror because the last thing her body remembered was being attacked.

So she screamed.

She tugged on the white restraints around her wrists and ankles that tied her down to her bed. She looked around frantically trying to assess the situation. She was trying to determine where she ended up at and why she was there. Looking around, it seemed as though it was a normal hospital room. The walls were white and there were machines that seemed unnecessary that cluttered the room. She was dressed in a white cover up and was restrained to the bed. She could even smell the sterile scent of the hospital mixed with what had to be the smell of the latest cafeteria junk. She could hear the staff rush about her room, and was tempted to press the button with the nice looking nurse on the side of her bed, easily within reach of her restrained hands.

But she didn't.

_You are not to trust anyone, Natalia_.

Was that her name? Natalia? It had to be, right?

xxxxxx

Bruce looked at the patterns of the latest CT scan that was performed on the rescued assassin. So far, she had been in a coma without reaching consciousness for two weeks, and counting. SHEILD took over her recovery but the Avengers put more pressure on the small organization and the Council that they allowed Bruce and Tony to monitor the Black Widow's progress.

The Black Widow, because until they were not one hundred percent certain that her brain, actions, and body was hers, then she would be called the Black Widow. Not Natasha.

"Those her readings today?"

"Two hours ago," Bruce confirmed as Tony walked into his makeshift office in the SHEILD HQ infirmary. "Still no signs of any brain washing, or control. I think the re-calibration worked."

"But we won't know for sure what Loki and Petrovich did to her until she wakes up."

"Correct. How is the search going?"

Tony sighed pulling up a bar stool and examining the CT scan. "Still no word on the whereabouts of Loki or Petrovich. They're planning something big, and we all know it."

"We'll be ready, whatever it is that they're planning."

"They won't know what's coming at them."

Bruce nodded his head. The search for the two responsible have been long and tedious. There were no visible trails except for what Hailey remembered of their talks when she was captured.

"What's this white right here, these are her memories, aren't they?"

"That's the only alteration that I see from her pre-capture CT to this one."

"So now we just wait?"

"Now we wait," Bruce agreed seeing the Clint, with Hailey in tow as they walked into the room across the hall - the _Black Widow's_ room.

Tony glanced down at his watch, 1300. "Like clockwork."

xxxxxx

"Daddy," Hailey tugged on his hand impatiently. After the initial analysis on the young girl, they found her to recover from whatever Loki and Petrovich had given her exceptionally well. Since then Bruce had been keeping track of her brain functions, to watch out for any triggers that they may have implanted on her, or any changed in her blood. This time, Hailey's impatience came to the fact that Clint was pulling a shirt on his head and Hailey wanted her hair braided so that she would look beautiful when she saw her Momma Tasha.

"Gimme a sec,Hail," Clint muttered, making sure he was decent before turning to his daughter who insisted on dressing herself for the trip to the infirmary. She had on purple tights and tutu, pink Ugg boots with ribbons, a white tank top and a cream cardigan.

Clint walked over to her tapping her on the shoulder. "What do you want today?"

"Piggy-tails, please."

"Piggy-tails it is then," he said with a smile taking her bright pink comb, brushing her long blonde hair and putting it up in pig tails. He may not be as great at it as Natasha, but he tried.

"You thinks Momma-Tasha gonna be good today?" Hailey asked him as she squirmed while he put bows on her hair.

"Maybe."

"You thinks she gonna like my new picture?"

Clint glanced to his left where Hailey had a white paper laid out with an illustration of them - he, Natasha and Hailey in front of a house. "I think she'll love it."

"Good!" Hailey said jumping off the stool. She grabbed her dad's hand, her other hand held the drawing that she finished that day. "Can we goes now?"

Clint checked his watch, 1230. They'll be there right on time. He smiled and nodded his head.

1300, Clint checked his watch as they turned the knob into Natasha's room. He knew, as soon as he walked in that something was wrong - something was different. He turned to Hailey, wanting to tell her to get out of the room but she stepped closer to the bed and all of a sudden, Natasha - the Black Widow - sprung off her bed, restraints be damned, taking on an attack position. Her head tilted to the side for a second wondering why the girl in front of her was so small. The Red Room usually didn't start them that young, she needed another year or two.

"You have six seconds to tell me your identity before I kill you," she stated her Russian accent thick.

Hailey looked at her with a frown, stepping up to the older woman, her drawing clutched tightly in her hands. "Momma-Tasha?"

The Black Widow looked at the little girl with a frown. She had never, in her life, imagined someone calling her Momma. She shook her head, this must be a part of the reprogramming that she had remembered Ivan doing to her.

When the Black Widow didn't reply to her. She stepped forward again, offering her drawing to the older woman. "I draw-ed this for you."

She grabbed the drawing, looking down at it for a second then looking up at Clint.

"You tell Ivan, I will not fall for his tricks again."

Hailey looked behind her to her father for support, to which Clint walked up to Hailey, banding down and telling her to go across the hall to where the Hulk and Mister Iron Man was. Once Hailey was gone, and Clint watched her safely get into the other room, hugging the two super heroes that occupied it, he turned his attention to Natasha who hadn't managed to mask the confused look on her face.

"You work for Ivan, yes?"

"No," Clint shook his head. "You are not with him anymore. You are safe, Natasha."

"You lie!" She screamed at him, the drawing crumbling in her hand. She started screaming in Russian, accusing him of lying to her, of playing a game so that she would do a mission. Clint shook his head.

He took another step closer to her, recognizing the Natalia - the one who he encountered that night when he chose not to kill her. The desperate cling to her humanity, to some truth about her life.

"Natalia," he whispered getting her attention, the sincerity in his voice causing her to shut up. "You don't remember who I am."

"No."

"Do you remember who you are?"

She looked at him for a few beats before hanging her head in defeat. "No."

So he asked her the same thing he did when he met her. "You are, only who you want to be. Do you want to be the killer, the killed, or the savior?"

She powered down and sighed looking at him curiously, cautiously. She never remembered any of Ivan's people being this sincere, having their feelings clearly placed in their eyes without a touch of hardness.

Clint approached her slowly and introduced himself.

"Clint Barton," he said holding out his hand.

"I -" she paused looking at his hand. "Why don't I remember you? Why don't I remember me?"

"I don't know the answers to your questions, but i do know that there are more than enough people here who care about you that will get you the answers."

She nodded looking at the crumpled picture in her hands. Underneath a red headed woman was the inscription "Momma-Tasha."

"Tasha," she said taking his hand and shaking it.

Clint chuckled, pulling her in for a hug - -hoping like hell she wouldn't kill him for it – resting his head on hers.

"We'll be okay, Tash."

The redhead nodded her head clinging to the stranger in front of her, hoping beyond hope that he was right.

Xxxx

"What happened?" Loki asked Ivan who was sitting in a surveillance room, the SHEILF infirmary before him.

"I do not understand," Ivan sighed looking at the picture before him of the archer and _his_ Widow in an embrace. "She was supposed to be activated as soon as she saw either of the Bartons."

"Ah," Loki stated looking down at the video feed. He turned from the surveillance walking away.

"What do we do now?" Ivan asked Loki. The demi-god shook his head with disappointment.

"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," Loki stated. "Is that not what you humans say?"

Ivan nodded his head slowly not following his train of thought. Before he knew it, the demi-god appeared behind him, snapped his neck and walked away.

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